🇰🇷🇺🇸 South Korea passes U.S. Investment Special Act

The "Special Act on Strategic Investment Management between South Korea and the United States (Special Act on Investment in the U.S.)" was passed unanimously by the ruling and opposition parties on March 9. The legislation is expected to be reviewed by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee and is anticipated to pass in a full assembly meeting on March 12.

The act aims to establish the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corporation with a government investment of 2 trillion won (approximately 9.299 billion RMB). This corporation will include a Risk Management Committee to oversee a $350 billion investment project in the United States.

The act also proposes the creation of the Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Fund under the corporation. This fund will be used to invest in U.S. government-designated institutions and provide loans and guarantees for shipbuilding cooperation investments.

Investment information will be disclosed by default. If the special act is processed during the plenary session on the 12th, the U.S. is expected to withdraw its plan to raise tariffs.

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🪙 Startup working on orbital data centers teases bitcoin mining in space, too

Starcloud aims to be the first to mine a coin in space. After proving it can run an Nvidia H100 GPU in orbit, US startup Starcloud plans to launch a dedicated bitcoin mining rig into space later this year.

"The company is pretty focused on the existing constellation for now. There’s also bitcoin mining... We’ll have some bitcoin mining ASICs on the second spacecraft launching later this year," - said Starcloud CEO Philip Johnston during the interview.

Johnston views bitcoin mining in orbit as a "future business" that could tap cheap energy by harnessing the Sun's power. Right now, bitcoin mining consumes about 20 GW of power continuously. Current bitcoin ASICs can run on any cheap energy source.

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⚡️🇷🇺 Putin says energy crisis has arrived but Russia is ready to work with Europe 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia had repeatedly warned that destabilising the Middle East could lead to an energy crisis with grave implications for the global economy. But he noted that the spike in prices was probably temporary. Putin said that Russia is ready to work again with European customers if they wanted to return to long-term cooperation.

"Oil production ‌dependent on ⁠the Strait of Hormuz risks halting completely within the next month," - Putin said. "We're ready to work with Europeans too. But we ⁠need some signals from them that they're ready and willing to work with us and will ensure this sustainability and stability."

The Trump administration is reportedly considering further easing of sanctions on Russian oil amid ongoing concerns about rising oil prices.

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⚡️🇺🇸 Trump says "the war is very complete," and he's considering taking over Strait of Hormuz

"I think the war is very complete, pretty much," Trump said. "Iran has no navy, no communications, they've got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones. If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense."

On the Strait of Hormuz: US is "thinking about taking it over" and could do "a lot".

🛢Oil futures swing into the red after Trump's statement. After soaring to a nearly four-year high overnight, approaching $120 a barrel, WTI is down 3.5% and Brent is off 1.2%.

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🧑‍⚖️ Anthropic sues to block Pentagon blacklisting over AI use restrictions

Anthropic on Monday filed a lawsuit to block the Pentagon from placing it on a national security blacklist, escalating the AI lab’s high-stakes battle with the U.S. military over usage ‌restrictions on its technology.

Anthropic said in its lawsuit that the designation was unlawful and violated its free speech and due process rights. The filing in federal court in California asked a judge to undo the designation and block federal agencies from enforcing it.

“These actions are unprecedented and unlawful. The Constitution does not allow the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech," Anthropic said.

Anthropic officials said the lawsuit doesn't preclude re-opening negotiations with the U.S. government and reaching a settlement. The company has said it does not want to be fighting with the U.S. government. Last week, a Pentagon official said the two sides were no longer active talks.

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💻 First solar-powered rugged laptop announced

Chinese device maker Oukitel has announced the world's first rugged solar-powered laptop, the RG14-P, featuring a 14.1" touchscreen and a solar panel array integrated into the back cover behind the laptop's display.

The laptop will come with an internal 3,000mAh main battery and a larger 5,200mAh backup battery, paired with 65 watts of fast charging. This is wired charging from the wall that does not account for the internal solar panel. Oukitel also announced that the laptop will come pre-installed with Windows 11. The exterior of the laptop features a metal chassis with rubber pads on each edge to protect the device.

The laptop is geared towards industrial workers who need a laptop that can operate in harsh conditions and remote environments for extended periods of time, likely away from a power outlet.

#BRICS

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💸 OpenAI to buy cybersecurity startup Promptfoo to better safeguard AI agents

OpenAI said Monday that it is acquiring the cybersecurity startup Promptfoo, which provides tools to help safeguard and test complex AI systems. The Sam Altman-led firm did not disclose the terms of the deal, but said Promptfoo’s team would join OpenAI. Promptfoo’s security tools will be brought within OpenAI’s Frontier platform for AI agents.

OpenAI said that it would also continue building Promptfoo’s popular open-source project that lets developers test various AI-related prompts and agents and compare the performance of large language models like ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini.

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💡3D printer that can mine Bitcoin uses excess heat for temperature control

PizzAndy created a 3D printing prototype that mines Bitcoin. The hybrid device is based on an open-source 3D printer design with a custom bed that is heat-controlled by throttling the Bitcoin mining ASICs attached to it. The printer bed is basically a heatsink.

The compact prototype is capable of a humble 500 GH/s when the bed is at 75 °C, says PizzAndy, but there are already plans for scaling and a tile-based model using Intel ASICs targeting at least 10 TH/s.

PizzAndy says the thought initially popped into his head 5 years ago, when he was heating his basement workspace (in the cold months) to help his 3D printers work better. The 3D printer/BTC enthusiast thought it would be “a cool thing” to mix these two technologies, but wasn’t sure about its commercial value. Since that time, he has become convinced that a commercial product is worthwhile.

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💊 Stem cell treatments for Parkinson's and heart failure approved in world first

Japan has approved ground-breaking stem-cell treatments for Parkinson's and severe heart failure. Pharmaceutical company Sumitomo Pharma said it received the green light for the manufacture and sale of Amchepry, its Parkinson's disease treatment that transplants stem cells into a patient's brain.

The study involved 7 Parkinson's patients aged between 50 and 69, with each receiving a total of either 5 million or 10 million cells. No major adverse effects were found, 4 patients showed improvements in symptoms. The treatments could be on the market and rolled out to patients as early as this summer, becoming the world's first commercially available medical products using (iPS) cells.

Japan's health ministry also gave the go-ahead to ReHeart, heart muscle sheets developed by medical startup Cuorips that can help form new blood vessels and restore heart function.

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🤖 Nexperia China claims to be making chips using 12-inch wafers

Chipmaker Nexperia's Chinese subsidiary said that it has ​begun producing its own chips, a further step ‌towards independence from its Dutch parent as a dispute that has disrupted automakers' supply lines continues.

The company has started making ​several types of chips also produced by Nexperia, ⁠but using 12-inch wafers - a size the Dutch company ​cannot manufacture in Europe - ​to make ⁠products including bipolar discrete devices, Schottky rectifiers and electrostatic discharge devices. The most likely supplier is WingSkySemi, a 12-inch wafer fab in Shanghai.

These chips are simpler than IGBTs, the insulated-gate bipolar transistors used for current regulation in applications like EVs and industrial equipment. The announcement demonstrates how far the company’s Chinese subsidiary has moved toward building a self-contained supply chain since its spat with Nexperia proper began in late 2025.

#BRICS

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⚡ Upcoming launch: X Money's early public access version set for next month

Elon Musk has revealed plans to introduce an early public access version of X Money next month. Users will soon have the opportunity to experience the X Money service in a preliminary form.

One of the biggest questions surrounding X Money, however, is whether or not it will support cryptocurrencies? 🤔

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🔥 2026 is shaping up to be another defining year for XRP

Recently, Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple CEO, and Monica Long, Ripple's president, along with others on the Ripple leadership team traveled to Dublin, London, Singapore and Sydney to meet with the Ripple Team.

A few notes from the road:

🔥 Centers of gravity are never stagnant, and getting out of the US coastal mindset is imperative. It is necessary to think globally.

🔥 Ripple is championing a maniacal focus and eliminating bureaucracy for employees to be owners. Activity ≠ progress.

🔥 Adoption doesn’t happen overnight. Platforms are better than point solutions.

🔥 AI is becoming a fundamental part of Ripple products – especially in cash forecasting and liquidity management in real-time for the office of the CFO, but the end goal is much bigger.

🔥 2026 is shaping up to be another defining year. Ripple in the right markets with the right capabilities across payments, custody, liquidity and treasury management. There's a huge opportunity ahead and XRP is at the center of it.

#Stellar

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🆕 Google rolls out new Gemini capabilities to Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive

Google announced on Tuesday that it’s bringing a slew of new Gemini-powered AI capabilities to Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. The new features let users do things like quickly generate fully formatted first drafts, slides, and sheets based on information from their Gmail, Chat, and Drive.

The tools are designed to make the apps more personal and capable of helping users get things done faster, right within the platforms themselves, instead of needing to switch to a separate tool or chatbot. All the new features are rolling out today in beta and will first be available to Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers. They’re available in English worldwide for Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and in the U.S. for Drive.

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🇺🇸 'America is now the crypto capital of the world,' CFTC's Selig says as digital asset rules take shape

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair (CFTC) Michael Selig said that "America is now the crypto capital of the world" during speech at the FIA's annual industry conference. The CFTC is drafting a crypto asset taxonomy and providing registration guidance for non-custodial software developers, while also reviewing rules for leveraged retail commodity transactions and the classification of true crypto-perpetuals.

"The U.S. is at the beginning of another great wave of innovation, as markets continue to digitize and crypto assets become mainstream," - said Selig.

The CFTC chair pointed to the adoption of blockchain technologies, crypto assets and smart contracts as forces introducing new methods for trading, clearing, settling and collateralizing commodity price exposure, alongside artificial intelligence systems executing orders at speeds and volumes far beyond human capacity.

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🤖 Dolphin-shaped robot removes dangerous oil spills with 95% purity filtering system

Engineers at RMIT University in Australia have built a remote-controlled robotic “Electronic Dolphin” designed to vacuum oil from the surface of water using a filter inspired by sea urchins. Its dolphin-like shape allows it to move easily across the surface while collecting contaminated liquid. At the front of the robot sits a specially designed filter. A small pump draws oil through the filter and into an onboard storage chamber.

The current prototype runs for about 15 minutes on its battery. Engineers expect future versions to run longer as pump power and storage capacity increase. By combining robotics with specialized materials, the research team aims to create a faster and safer way to remove oil from sensitive waterways without putting human responders at risk.

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📺 YouTube ads are about to get even longer and they’ll be unskippable

YouTube viewers watching on TVs may soon have to sit through even longer ads, with Google rolling out new 30-second unskippable spots on its television app. The change means some ads that previously allowed users to skip after a few seconds will instead run the full half-minute with no option to bypass them except for subscribing to YouTube Premium.

“Google AI dynamically optimizes between 6-second Bumpers, 15-second standard, and 30-second CTV-only non-skippable ad formats, ensuring your campaign reaches the right audience at the right time,” - Google explained.

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💸 Ex-Meta AI chief Yann LeCun's AMI raises $1.03 billion for alternative AI approach

Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI Labs), the new venture co-founded by Turing Award winner Yann LeCun after he left Meta, has raised $1.03 billion at a $3.5 billion pre-money valuation. AMI is working on world models, or AI that learns from reality, not just from language.

LeBrun thinks that AMI Labs is fundamentally different: its goal is to understand the real world. This could have applications in healthcare, where AMI Labs’ first partner will be Nabla, the digital health startup of which he’s now chairman. The funding round was co-led by Cathay Innovation, Greycroft, Hiro Capital, HV Capital and Bezos Expeditions.

AMI aims to build systems capable of reasoning and planning in complex real-world settings. The company's near-term target customers are organizations operating complex systems, including manufacturers, automakers, aerospace companies, biomedical firms and pharmaceutical groups.

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🤖 New photonic chip runs AI in trillionths using light, cuts heat and energy use

Researchers at the University of Sydney have built a nanophotonic chip prototype that performs AI calculations using light instead of electricity. The experimental device processes information using photons, allowing operations to take place in trillionths of a second.

Instead of relying on electronic signals, the chip carries out calculations as light travels through nanoscale structures embedded in the device. To evaluate the prototype, the research team trained the chip to classify more than 10,000 biomedical images. The photonic neural network could identify images with an accuracy between 90% and 99%.

AI is increasingly constrained by the energy consumption. Photonic computing could help reduce that burden because light can travel through materials without electrical resistance, significantly lowering heat generation and power use compared with electronic chips.

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🇺🇸 Trump announces 'historic' $300 billion oil refinery in Texas, thanks 'partners in India, Reliance'

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that India’s Reliance Industries was supporting a proposed oil refinery project in Texas that he described as a ‘historic’ development for the U.S. energy sector. Trump characterised the initiative as a turning point for the country’s energy infrastructure and domestic refining capacity.

“I am proud to announce that America First Refining is opening the FIRST new U.S. Oil Refinery in 50 YEARS in Brownsville, Texas,” - Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

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🔥 Ripple to Secure Australian Financial Services License, Expanding Payments Offering Across APAC

Ripple today announced plans to secure an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL), further expanding its regulated footprint in Asia Pacific. The license enables Ripple to expand its payments offering in Australia.

“Australia is a key market for Ripple, and an AFSL strengthens our ability to scale Ripple Payments across the region. By leveraging blockchain technology and digital assets, we enable customers to move value globally with greater speed, transparency, and reliability. We remain focused on working closely with regulators to support the next phase of growth for digital asset infrastructure,” - said Fiona Murray, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Ripple.

Ripple will obtain its AFSL through the proposed acquisition of BC Payments Australia Pty Ltd, which is subject to finalizing the standard completion process. This will strengthen Ripple’s ability to offer a licensed, end-to-end platform for moving funds globally.

With the ASFL in place, Ripple Payments can manage the full lifecycle of a transaction, from onboarding and compliance through funding, FX, liquidity management, and final payout, while integrating both traditional banking rails and digital assets.

#Stellar

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